Ecclesia Ministries

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About Ecclesia Ministries In the summer of 1994, the Rev. Deborah W. Little began meeting with homeless people on the streets of Boston, offering sandwiches, friendship, and referrals. From that simple beginning, Ecclesia Ministries has evolved into an ecumenical church community that engages homeless and privileged people, service providers, clergy, seminarians, artists, and professionals of all kinds in activities that work to meet the physical, social, emotional and spiritual needs of homeless people in Boston. The chronically homeless, especially those who suffer from severe mental illness and/or addiction disorders, have a hard time escaping homelessness, finding permanent housing, and reintegrating at some level into community. For these individuals, perception of the world has been impaired by drugs, alcohol, and unsuccessful social experiences. There has been a loss of trust in oneself and others a basic loss of belief. Reestablishing connection, trust, and belief is the heart of the recovery model of addiction treatment and is important spiritual work that provides successful outcomes for addicts. In the Handbook of Health and Religion ( Oxford University Press, 2001 ), Drs. Harold G. Koenig and Harvey J. Cohen, both Professors of Medicine at Duke University, reviewed more than 1, 600 studies, and found that across mental and physical disorders, religious involvement is overwhelmingly associated with positive physical and mental health outcomes. Our ministers are now out on the streets nearly every day of the week, meeting members of our community to check-in, offer prayer and companionship, and make referrals to social service agencies. Our weekly outdoor worship service, common cathedral, and mid-week programs, common art, common cinema, and support and reflection groups, continue to provide community, inspiration and healing to thousands of un-housed men and women each year, and our spiritual care program in hospitals and jails allows us to maintain and deepen our connection with vulnerable men and women in need. While we provide a Christian context for our worship and spiritual reflection groups, we are a non-proselytizing ministry, open to broad discussions of belief and belief systems. Most recently, we have embarked on a new program to accompany and support the newly housed. In the past three years, quite a number of our community has been able to move off the streets. This is a great victory. We have discovered, however, that transitioning into housing is also a time of great danger for formerly homeless people. Our new program works in partnership with housing providers to dissolve isolation, garner peer support, and facilitate the success of newly-housed people through on-site, spiritually grounded community meals.